Patents by Inventor Nicolas Marty

Nicolas Marty has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20100218114
    Abstract: The invention is situated in the field of displaying on board an aircraft geostationary elements of the navigation database on a screen having different display resolutions for the purpose of this data display, and its subject is a method for simplifying the display of stationary elements of this onboard database. This method is characterized in that it consists in precalculating a “decluttering” during the process of producing the onboard database by meshing the Earth with a Cartesian grid oriented along the latitudes and longitudes of the Earth, and by allowing only the most pertinent obstacle to appear in each rectangle of this grid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2008
    Publication date: August 26, 2010
    Applicant: THALES
    Inventors: Pierre Gamet, Jean-Louis Dalby, Nicolas Marty
  • Patent number: 7777647
    Abstract: The field of the invention is that of the display in map form of an operating zone of an aircraft on a screen, and more particularly a method of processing topographic data of this operating zone of an aircraft in real time, based on a calculation of radials (R) centred on a reference point (O) defining an angular segment of topographic data. According to the invention, the method includes a subdivision of the operating zone to be mapped into a plurality of angular segment sections, each forming an individual zone (3), and an assignment of a processing priority and a refresh frequency specific to each individual zone defined according to a criterion of operational interest of the element to the aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2010
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventors: Aurélie Sallier, Julia Percier, Nicolas Marty
  • Publication number: 20100204909
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for aiding the taxiing of an aircraft comprising a plurality of onboard propulsion means and which is able to move over an airport zone according to at least one specific taxiing procedure making it possible to reduce fuel consumption, the method being characterized in that it implements the following steps during the phase of taxiing of the aircraft on an airport: Checking of the taxiing conditions for the implementation of the said taxiing procedure and calculation of the implementation parameters of the procedure, Calculation of the taxiing performance data resulting from the implementation of the taxiing procedure, Display of the taxiing directives and performance related to the taxiing procedure, Monitoring of the parameters of the avionics systems during the implementation of the taxiing procedure. The invention applies to taxiing plan formulation systems and/or aircraft monitoring systems.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2009
    Publication date: August 12, 2010
    Applicant: Thales
    Inventors: Pascal Gayraud, Nicolas Marty, Julia Percier
  • Patent number: 7739047
    Abstract: A method for evaluating the licitness of the situation of a craft on the surface of an airport including the steps of: modelling of a first licitness cost surface covering a surface of the airport where the craft is deploying, termed the deployment surface, related to this deployment surface and defined by quantities assigned to its points, which quantities are representative of their memberships in flow constraint zones and of the severity in relation to the craft, of the flow constraints, modelling of a second licitness cost surface covering the deployment surface, related to the craft and defined by quantities assigned to its points, which quantities are representative of their memberships in a girth zone covering a neighborhood of the current position of the craft, and calculation of a score evaluating the significance of the risk of violation of a flow constraint incurred by the craft on the basis of a cross-correlation function of the two licitness cost surfaces referred to one and the same benchmark.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventors: Hugues Meunier, Nicolas Marty
  • Patent number: 7739035
    Abstract: This method allows the calculation, using a terrain elevation database, of a map of the distances of the points accessible to a mobile object subjected to dynamic constraints evolving with its time of travel, for example an aircraft having an imposed vertical flight profile, the distances being measured solely according to paths achievable by the mobile object. It implements a propagation-based distance transform which catalogs the achievable paths going from a goal point whose distance is to be estimated to a source point which is the origin of the distance measurements and likens the distance of the goal point to the length of the shortest achievable path or paths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventors: Elias Bitar, Nicolas Marty
  • Patent number: 7733243
    Abstract: The device relates to the signaling, to the pilot of a moving vehicle, for example an aircraft, of its lateral maneuvering margins taking into account obstacles placed in its maneuvering zone. This device determines, over the maneuvering zone of the moving vehicle, the contours of a first type of risk region that must be bypassed and those of two other types of risk region consisting of lateral margins surrounding the first type of risk region, of widths less than separation thresholds or their upper limit considered necessary for a lateral maneuver without space constraint and displays them for the pilot of the moving vehicle. The determination of the separation thresholds takes into account the bearing angle under which a point of the contour of a region of the first type is seen from the moving vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventors: Elias Bitar, Nicolas Marty
  • Publication number: 20100114922
    Abstract: The invention relates to the field of monitoring and aid to taxiing of an aircraft at an airport. The invention is a method of checking and monitoring the taxi plan and relates to a monitoring system comprising means for checking the pathway of the plan and means for signalling on the taxi aid the waiting time for the next clearance ahead of the aircraft along the pathway, the means for checking the pathway comprising a device for checking the pathway constraints and a device for checking the clearances, the device for checking the constraints making it possible to test and to display on the taxi plan the information descriptive of the constraints and the device for checking the clearances making it possible to check the clearances and to add the missing clearances to the taxi plan.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2009
    Publication date: May 6, 2010
    Applicant: Thales
    Inventors: Pascal Gayraud, Nicolas Marty, Bernard Dubourg, Francois Michel
  • Publication number: 20100106419
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of presenting zones at risk for an aircraft comprising a system of databases, a processor, an anticollision device and a viewing device, wherein to display on the viewing device the zones at risk in relation to the obstacles, the processor carries out the steps of: acquiring obstacle data, the data corresponding to obstacles situated in the aircraft's close displacement zone; calculating the risk of collision with each of the obstacles of the displacement zone; calculating the limits of the zones at risk of collision in the close displacement zone, these limits representing the positions from which the anticollision device might possibly produce collision alerts in relation to the obstacles if the aircraft were to steer towards the obstacle while maintaining the instantaneous flight parameters; and displaying the limits of zones at risk.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2009
    Publication date: April 29, 2010
    Applicant: Thales
    Inventors: Laurent Flotte, Nicolas Marty, Fabien Vittoz
  • Publication number: 20100100308
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for formulating a flight plan ensuring sufficient safety margins for a duration of a few minutes in relation to the set of flight constraints that could arise and comprising means for: detecting the surrounding moving objects (aircraft or meteorological phenomena), evaluating their type and the danger that they represent, formulating a reconfiguration flight plan ensuring a separation with these phenomena and taking best account of the constraints of the initially followed flight plan, avoiding prohibited or regulated airspaces and avoiding the surrounding relief with ad hoc operational margins.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2009
    Publication date: April 22, 2010
    Applicant: Thales
    Inventors: François Coulmeau, Manuel Gutierrez-Castaneda, Nicolas Marty
  • Patent number: 7693613
    Abstract: In distance maps used in order to facilitate the navigation of craft such as an aircraft, the distances estimated take into account obstacles to be circumvented but not the maneuverability of the craft. The adaptation route required by the craft in order to take the right direction is not taken into account so that certain distance estimates for accessible points located in the neighborhood of the craft are unrealistic. In order to make a distance map more realistic, it is proposed that an obstacle of concave shape associated with the craft be added behind the position of the craft, forcing the estimations of distances to be circumvented an area that is inaccessible to the craft for reasons of maneuverability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2010
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventors: Elias Bitar, Nicolas Marty
  • Publication number: 20100079308
    Abstract: The invention relates to the field of monitoring the landing phase of an aircraft. The invention is a method making it possible to calculate and monitor the provisional landing distance and the configuration of the aircraft and flight parameters during the changes in the landing phase manoeuvre. The method consists in determining the landing runway then in analyzing the configuration and the dynamic parameters of the aeroplane, the meteorological and airport data in order to assess, from a performance database, whether the planned braking is suitable and will stop the aeroplane before the end of the runway. The result of the analysis gives rise, if the situation demands it, to appropriate visual and oral alarms.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2009
    Publication date: April 1, 2010
    Applicant: Thales
    Inventors: Bernard Fabre, Pascal Gayraud, Nicolas Marty
  • Publication number: 20100066565
    Abstract: The invention relates to onboard failure warning management systems on aircraft, or flight warning systems (FWS). Traditionally, the logic of these systems refers to procedures to be executed by the crew in response to warnings. Modifications, however minor, to the procedures involve a new development that can be installed on the airplane computer only as part of a costly maintenance procedure, given notably the need to carry out exhaustive tests on the application. The invention introduces the concept of tasks defined by a set of variables, notably the warning and the procedure in which the task is executed, its category, its priority level and its status. Thus, the computer programs can be organized in modules that call the tasks to be executed, the parameters of said tasks being defined in a configuration table that can be updated as the procedures change during simple operation maintenance procedures.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 3, 2009
    Publication date: March 18, 2010
    Applicant: Thales
    Inventors: Gilles Francois, Fabien Guilley, Nicolas Marty, Julia Percier
  • Publication number: 20100052973
    Abstract: The invention relates to a monitoring device and method allowing surveillance of the location and the displacement of an aircraft in relation to aircraft and/or craft on an airport displacement zone. The invention is a system cooperative with a communication network of ADS-B type and TIS-B comprising a dedicated transmitter and receiver, these transmitters and receivers making it possible to receive the information regarding the location and displacement of the cooperative aircraft and to monitor the location of the said aircraft in relation to the cooperative aircraft. The monitoring application is based on the detection of conflict zones by inter-correlation of constraint surfaces of the airport zone. The invention applies to aircraft on board which are carried communication means for ADS-B networks for an airport zone monitoring application.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2009
    Publication date: March 4, 2010
    Applicant: Thales
    Inventors: Bernard Fabre, Nicolas Marty, Hugues Meunier
  • Publication number: 20100057276
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device for monitoring risky atmospheric areas. The invention relates to an onboard device connected to meteorological measurement systems making it possible to calculate danger detection areas in front of the aircraft in order to detect potential areas of penetration of the aircraft into risky atmospheric areas. The areas of intersection between the detection areas and the risky meteorological areas are calculated according to the trajectory of the aircraft stored in the navigation system. The method makes it possible to generate alerts and force the display of the meteorological situation in front of the aircraft in case of danger.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2009
    Publication date: March 4, 2010
    Applicant: Thales
    Inventors: Nicolas Marty, Hugues Meunier, Philippe Salmon
  • Patent number: 7668625
    Abstract: This lateral maneuverability map shows the area of movement of a vehicle with the contours of the regions of complete freedom of lateral movement. It is generated from a distance map listing the distances of the points of its regions that can be negotiated by the vehicle to the regions to be circumvented. It may show the area of movement of the vehicle in the form of a subdivision into at least three types of region, namely a first type corresponding to regions to be circumvented, a second type corresponding to bands surrounding the regions to be circumvented and having the width of a maneuvering space arbitrarily considered as necessary for free lateral movement of the vehicle, and a third type of region corresponding to regions of free lateral movement. In the case of an aircraft, said map may be superimposed on the map of a TAWS system in order to specify to the pilot if he has complete freedom of lateral movement or not.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2010
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventors: Elias Bitar, Nicolas Marty
  • Publication number: 20100042273
    Abstract: This system accompanies the alarms of TAWS type and in particular the alarms of “Avoid terrain” type indicating to the pilot that he has passed the limit point of success of a standard vertical avoidance maneuver, indications (32, 33) of free-travel distances in azimuth sectors suited to a clearance maneuver and one or more recommended relief avoidance maneuvers (A, B), both lateral and vertical. For the determination of the limit point, it monitors the penetration of a model of the terrain being flown over into a first protection volume (1) linked to the aircraft and configured in such a way as to model a standard vertical avoidance maneuver trajectory executed without notable delay. For the determination of the azimuth sectors open to a clearance maneuver, it analyzes the penetrations of the model of terrain being flown over in a second protection volume with large azimuth aperture, linked to the aircraft and configured in such a way as to contain the limit point protection volume (1).
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2007
    Publication date: February 18, 2010
    Applicant: Thales
    Inventors: Hugues Meunier, Nicolas Marty, Julia Percier
  • Publication number: 20100004801
    Abstract: The invention relates to a calculation method for an aircraft navigation aid system making it possible to maintain a vertical safety margin with an obstruction profile, the aircraft comprising a navigation system, an automatic piloting system, a database system and a display device, characterized in that the method comprises the following steps: calculation of an obstruction altitude profile, calculation of a vertical safety margin with respect to the obstruction profile, of a plurality of vertical safety trajectories and of the respective flight setpoints for the aircraft to execute the trajectories, selection of the flight setpoints making it possible to maintain the aircraft as close as possible to the obstruction profile while maintaining between the aircraft and the obstruction profile at least the vertical safety margin, filtering of the flight set point values so that the variation of the values of the setpoints does not exceed a variation difference in a duration predefined in the system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2009
    Publication date: January 7, 2010
    Applicant: Thales
    Inventors: Laurent Flotte, Nicolas Marty, Aurelie Sallier
  • Publication number: 20090326741
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and a device for extracting terrain altitudes notably for a display of a sectional view of a terrain overflown by an aircraft. The device for extracting terrain altitudes along a trajectory (32) of an aircraft (31) in flight comprises a means (5) for selecting flight parameters (2, 3, 4) of the aircraft; a terrain altitudes extraction requests manager (11); a geographical zones manager (12); a terrain data manager (14); a terrain profile provider (21). The invention can notably be used within the framework of an anticollision device for preventing collision between an aircraft and the terrain.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2008
    Publication date: December 31, 2009
    Applicant: THALES
    Inventors: Nicolas MARTY, Julia Percier, Aurelie Sallier
  • Patent number: 7634353
    Abstract: The invention relates to aiding airport navigation by emission of an alert reminding the pilot of a craft moving on the surface of an airport of the circulation constraints encountered locally over his route. The method comprises the following steps: partitioning of the circulation surfaces of the airport into elementary circulation constraint zones each enclosing a set of adjoining points subject to the same local circulation constraints, identifications of the elementary zones and of their specific circulation constraints, detection of the encroachment of the craft into the elementary zones, and upon each encroachment of the craft into an elementary zone, reminder by alert generation, to the commander of the craft, of one at least of the circulation constraints specific to the elementary zone concerned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2009
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventors: Hugues Meunier, Nicolas Marty
  • Patent number: 7633411
    Abstract: The device relates to the signaling, to the pilot of a craft, of the risks that it incurs due to obstacles placed in its zone of deployment. This device determines, on the zone of deployment of the craft, the contours of several types of risk region as well as the contours of two lateral regions of tight deployment tied to the craft and produces alarms as a function of the types of zones at risk found in the lateral regions of tight deployment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2009
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventors: Elias Bitar, Nicolas Marty